15 Media Internships for High School Students in Los Angeles, CA
Media internships are a good option for high school students who want to learn how storytelling, production, and communication work outside the classroom. You'll gain experience working with professionals and build skills useful for a media career. A media internship shows colleges and employers that you take initiative, and gives you a chance to figure out whether a career in media is the right fit for you.
What media internships are available for high school students in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is one of the best places to find media internships for high schoolers. Major organizations like the Los Angeles Times, Sony Pictures, and KCRW are based here, and interning with them shows you how news is reported and entertainment is produced. The city's media industry covers everything from film and television to digital journalism and social media. Being in LA means you can build a professional network in a place where the industry is concentrated.
We narrowed it down to the 15 best media internships for high school students in Los Angeles, each offering a different way to get experience in the field.
1. Los Angeles Times High School Insider Summer Internship
Location: Los Angeles Times, El Segundo, CA
Stipend: $16.90/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 8–10 students per summer
Dates: Typically 7 weeks, mid-June through early August
Application Deadline: Late February
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who live in Los Angeles County and Orange County and are authorized to work in the U.S.
This media internship for high school students in Los Angeles, CA, introduces you to newsroom workflows through structured reporting and editorial assignments. You will practice core journalism skills such as source outreach, interview scheduling, and drafting feature stories with multiple revisions. The program emphasizes working across formats, including written articles, video, and podcast production. You collaborate directly with editors, which exposes you to professional feedback cycles and newsroom standards. Coverage areas may include breaking news as well as longer-form enterprise reporting, and your work is produced within a real publication pipeline, reflecting how journalism operates in professional media environments.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on the program type; financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10–25%; 70–100 students
Dates: Several cohorts year-round, including Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap-year students who can commit 10–20 hours per week for 8–12 weeks
Ladder Internships places you on a defined project with a startup company over a fixed timeline. The internship is structured around milestones, including drafting, revising, and presenting deliverables. You work closely with a coach or mentor to receive feedback and adjust your approach. Projects may involve research, analysis, content development, or operational support, depending on the company. The experience emphasizes independent work balanced with regular check-ins. It functions as a short-term, project-based internship model for high school students interested in applied learning. Apply now!
3. Los Angeles County Bloomberg Arts Internship Program
Location: Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; roughly 50–100 interns
Dates: 8 weeks in June
Application Deadline: Mid-to-late April
Eligibility: Rising public high school seniors who live and attend school in Los Angeles County
This arts internship for high school students in Los Angeles, CA, combines workplace experience with structured professional development. It places you within a cultural organization where you will participate in workshops focused on career readiness and skill-building. Learning is split between hands-on tasks and guided reflection on professional practices. Mentorship plays a central role in helping you understand different arts-related career pathways. The program integrates creative work with broader communication and organizational skills, offering a structured introduction to working within arts and cultural institutions.
4. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Teen Council
Location: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; approximately 10–15 students per year
Dates: One-year commitment, typically September – June
Application Deadline: Early September
Eligibility: High school students ages 14–18 who reside in Los Angeles County
Rather than focusing on production, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Teen Council centers on media, film, and museum programming from a planning and advisory perspective. You will contribute to discussions about youth-focused workshops and public programs while learning how cultural institutions design educational experiences. The structure emphasizes collaboration, feedback, and decision-making across departments. You gain exposure to how film history, media literacy, and audience engagement are translated into public-facing initiatives. This opportunity aligns more closely with media education, curation, and program development than content creation.
5. Inner-City Arts Work of Art
Location: Inner-City Arts, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; around 30–50 students per year
Dates: Year–round
Application Deadline: Late January / Early February
Eligibility: LA high school sophomores and juniors
The Inner-City Arts Work of Art program is a prestigious college and career exploration initiative for high school students interested in the creative economy. It combines creative production with career and college exploration in the arts, and you participate in studio-based learning across visual, media, and performing arts. Some projects result in finished creative assets that are shared or distributed through institutional platforms. The structure includes mentorship, workshops, and exposure to creative industry workflows, with emphasis placed on process, collaboration, and reflective practice.
6. LA Promise Fund – The Intern Project
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; approximately 80–100 students per summer cohort
Dates: Multiple seasonal programs: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Application Deadline: Varies as per seasonal program Summer: Mid-March; Spring: Late January, Fall: Early September
Eligibility: LA County public high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
This media internship connects high school students in Los Angeles, CA, to workplace-based learning across multiple industries, including arts, media, and entertainment. It places you in professional environments where you observe how teams operate and contribute to tasks aligned with the organization’s work. The structure emphasizes skill-building through real assignments rather than simulations. Depending on the placement, you may develop communication, research, organizational, or technical skills. The exposure to different sectors allows you to better understand how media-related roles intersect with business, technology, and community-focused work.
7. Warner Bros. Discovery Reach Honorship Program
Location: Burbank/Los Angeles County, CA
Stipend: Paid summer internship and a $5,000 scholarship towards college
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Less than 1% acceptance; ~5 – 7 students
Dates: 4 summers during college, beginning in the year you graduate
Application Deadline: Typically, the early months of the year
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who live in Burbank or Los Angeles County
The Warner Bros. Discovery Reach Honorship is a hybrid program that bridges the gap between high school and college, introducing you to the entertainment industry through rotational department placements. Each experience focuses on a different function, allowing you to see how creative, technical, and business teams collaborate. You gain exposure to workflows behind content development, operations, and post-production. Mentorship is integrated into the structure, offering insight into professional expectations and decision-making processes. Rather than focusing on a single skill, the program builds a broad understanding of how large media organizations operate.
8. The Museum of Contemporary Art Teen Program
Location: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; around 15–20 students
Dates: September – May
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors at the time of application
The MOCA Teen Program is a paid, academic-year-long residency for high school juniors and seniors at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. It focuses on contemporary art through collaborative, project-based work inside a museum setting. You will engage with artists and museum professionals while contributing to event planning, digital projects, and public-facing programming. Your responsibilities may include developing content for social platforms or supporting youth-focused events. The program emphasizes discussion and critical engagement with modern art, including complex or challenging themes. Peer collaboration is central, with regular group work shaping both individual and collective projects.
9. Getty Museum Teen Gallery Guides
Location: Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; approximately 15–20 students per location
Dates: 8–10 weeks between June and August
Application Deadline: Early March
Eligibility: High school teens residing in Los Angeles County
The Getty Museum Teen Gallery Guides program is a prestigious summer internship that offers high school students an introduction to art history, public speaking, and museum operations. This media-adjacent internship centers on interpretation, audience engagement, and visual analysis. You learn how to examine artworks closely and communicate ideas clearly to different audiences. Training focuses on public speaking, facilitation strategies, and educational approaches used in museum settings. Rather than producing content, you guide experiences by leading discussions and activities connected to the collection. The program highlights how storytelling and context shape how people understand art. It offers a perspective on media, education, and communication through direct public interaction.
10. Self-Help Graphics & Art Youth Committee
Location: Self-Help Graphics & Art, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~10 – 15 students
Dates: September – June
Application Deadline: August 24
Eligibility: LA-based students aged 15–20
The Self-Help Graphics & Art (SHG) Youth Committee is a paid leadership and social justice program that allows Los Angeles youth to act as cultural organizers for their community. You will contribute to exhibitions, pop-ups, and installations that reflect issues relevant to young people. The structure emphasizes leadership development alongside creative practice. You engage with artists, community organizers, and arts professionals to understand how art intersects with advocacy and civic engagement. Skill-building may include project coordination, creative decision-making, and group facilitation. Much of the learning happens through peer collaboration and hands-on involvement in youth-led initiatives.
11. Ghetto Film School LA Fellows Program
Location: Ghetto Film School, South Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 30–35 students
Dates: 30-month program (summer and weekend sessions)
Application Deadline: Late May/early June
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18
This long-term visual storytelling program focuses on cinematic production through sustained, structured coursework. You will engage with both creative and operational aspects of filmmaking, including narrative development, production workflows, and the business side of media. Training progresses over multiple phases, allowing skills to build gradually across writing, directing, editing, and production planning. Instruction is delivered by working professionals, emphasizing industry-aligned processes rather than short-term projects. The program also integrates academic preparation alongside media training. Overall, it functions more like an extended media education pathway than a traditional short-term media internship.
12. Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement
Location: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None; transportation scholarships provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; roughly 26 students
Dates: June 16 – July 3
Application Deadline: April 14
Eligibility: High school students who live and attend school in Los Angeles County
This program for high school students in Los Angeles, CA, examines the relationship between media, journalism, and civic life. You will engage in structured coursework that emphasizes writing, analysis, interviewing, and multimedia storytelling. Sessions are designed to mirror college-level instruction, with a strong focus on discussion and critical thinking. Media is treated as both a practical skill set and a tool for understanding social issues. You also explore how communication shapes public discourse and community engagement. Overall, the program blends theory and practice rather than operating as a traditional media internship.
13. The Huntington Teen Volunteers
Location: Huntington Library, San Marino, CA
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 20–40 teens per term
Dates: 4-month terms beginning in February, June, and September
Application Deadline: Rolling basis (varies as per term)
Eligibility: High school students aged 14+
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens (The Huntington) offers a popular year-round teen volunteer program that allows students to gain experience in museum education, botany, and guest services. You will support exhibitions, collections, and educational programming by assisting with visitor engagement and event operations. Training focuses on communication, observation, and responsibility within structured environments. Rather than producing media, you help interpret and share information with diverse audiences. The experience provides insight into how museums and libraries operate on a day-to-day basis.
14. Pasadena Symphony and POPS Volunteer
Location: Pasadena Symphony, Pasadena, CA
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; approximately 30–50 volunteers per concert
Dates: Year–round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students ages 14-18
The Pasadena Symphony and POPS Volunteer Program is primarily a guest-services and event-support opportunity for high school students interested in arts management and live production. It exposes you to the operations of a performing arts organization where you assist with concert support, audience services, or administrative tasks related to programming and outreach. The work emphasizes organization, communication, and event coordination, and through your responsibilities, you observe how live performances are produced and managed. The experience focuses on operational and logistical aspects rather than artistic performance and offers a practical view of arts management and audience engagement.
15. PBS News Student Reporting Labs
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; 20–30 Fellows per year
Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18
This journalism program offers modular ways to practice reporting across video, audio, and digital formats. You will work through guided tutorials and structured prompts that mirror professional reporting processes, from pitching ideas to revising drafts. Opportunities range from short-form social video to longer investigative or community-based stories. Feedback and editorial guidance are built into the workflow, emphasizing accuracy, structure, and ethical reporting. Some projects involve collaboration with producers and multiple revision rounds. The program supports skill development at different levels, allowing you to engage based on your experience and interests.